Adventures In The Ketoverse

I've been been on a new way of eating since the end of April and I'm loving it. The Ketogenic way of eating has transformed my thinking about food and weight loss in a way I never expected. My main goals with this new way of eating are losing the weight I need to, and getting off ALL my diabetic and high blood pressure meds. I am happy to say that I am seeing the light at the end of this tunnel!

In the Ketogenic way of eating we use healthy fats and proteins as our source of fuel as apposed to using carbs and sugars. It is amazing how much better I feel since kicking the carbs and sugars to the curb! Surprisingly I didn't have too much trouble giving up my breads and sweet treats. This going to be a sustainable woe (way of eating).

Going Keto doesn't mean giving up the all the things you love to eat. You simply find healthier options to enjoy them or a tasty substitute for the things that are not allowed. It is doable friends. You gotta trust me on this one.

Stay tuned as I share recipes, tips and what has worked for me. I'll also review different products I've tried along my Keto Journey.

Once Upon A Saturday Morning

It’s 6 o’clock on a Saturday morning and all through the house not a person was up and about except mom. She was busy in the kitchen mixing up a tasty treat for her tribe. She gathered flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar; some butter, eggs, and whipping cream too. Then for a magical taste she reached for some egg nog. Yes, egg nog. These will be tasty waffles indeed. And with some cinnamon whipped cream to dollup on top these would surely be waffles supreme!

Gathering the essentials.

1-1/2 cups of this magical liquid to take 

these waffles to The. Next. Level.

Don't overmix. Lumps are a good thing 

in waffle land.

Fill your waffle maker with amount it 

requires and...

Voila!!! Yummy happens.

 I used the leftover whipping 

cream from last nights supper. 

I just added some cinnamon.

Look how pretty it is. And its going to 

be the perfect compliment for the Egg 

Nog waffles.

Serve warm sprinkled with powdered sugar and a big 

dollop of the cinnamon whipped cream. Extra whipped 

cream is strongly encouraged. 

Guaranteed good to the last crumb!

**I didn't have butter and substituted 1/3 cup 

cooking oil as a substitute.**

This is my modified version of the recipe from:

cooknourishbliss.com

Oh Meyer! Lemon Loaf

I'm so excited friends and I just couldn't wait to post. The last time I made a lemon loaf it stuck to the pan, and  I was not sure if it was the goop's fault or mine. I was hoping it was mine because I really love my goop (homemade pam spray) I think it is the best thing since anything as far as baking goes. 

Anyways, I made another lemon loaf today, and was praying that it wouldn't stick to the pan because I was making it to take to a friend. So thinking back on my disastrous last loaf of lemon bread; I said a prayer, baked the bread, and when it was done I let it cool in the pan just a bit longer. this time.  Last time I tried to take it out of the pan at about 10 minutes, and this time I waited patiently for 15 minutes. Santo remedio, as we say in Spanish. It truly was the holy remedy because the bread came out perfectly. So glad it worked out. My patience paid off. 

Gorgeousness!

The finished Lemon Loaf.

Success! 

Lemon drizzle/glaze. Guess it really depends on how much 

you put on the loaf. I'd say I glazed today. 

Yep, its glazed.

😊

Spaghetti Sauce

Hey y'all, here's a quick and easy spaghetti sauce recipe I think you'll like. I got this recipe from a friend years ago and I have been using it ever since.

1 Jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 pound of  sweet Italian sausage
Cabernet Sauvignon
1/4 granulated sugar

Cook the Italian sausage until it is completely browned. Drain and add to the spaghetti sauce. Add 1 cup or more as desired of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Add the sugar and simmer on low for about 20 minutes or so to give the flavors a chance to mingle. If you're like me and you like the sauce I bit thicker then you can blend/pulae about a cup of the cooked sausage with a little of the sauce before you simmer it all. This sauce is even tastier if you prepare it a day or so in advance. The flavors mellow quite nicely.

Peach Kuchen

This month's Improv Cooking Challenge ingredients are peaches and cream. Since I am a baker at heart  I decided to try baking a Peach Kuchen; a German peach cream cake. Now, I have never tried baking one before so I was excited to try it.  I gotta say that it was so much fun to make and the nutmeg made the house smell absolutely divine as it was cooking. Honestly the hardest part was waiting to eat it. Here's the recipe I used. It is a modified version from Beyond Kimchee

.

Peach Kuchen

Ingredients~

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small chunks

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg

1 large can of sliced peaches, drained  

Custard Cream~

1 cup heavy cream

2 tsp flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat  oven to 400˚F

Grease a 9" spring form pan.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender, or two forks cut in the cold butter pieces until it becomes fine crumbs. In a small mixing bowl, whisk milk and egg well. Pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture, and mix with a fork just until it becomes wet. Now spread the batter on the bottom of the pan. Arrange the peach slices on top. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. While this is baking make the custard cream. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the cream with the flour until there are no big lumps. Add the reminder of the cream, sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt. Whisk well. After 15 minutes take the cake out of the oven and pour the cream mixture over the top. Return the cake to the oven and reduce the heat to 350˚F. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake top is puffed, and the edges are deep golden and are beginning to separate from the pan. On a wire rack cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, and then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely. Enjoy plain or with a scoop of ice cream.

*Notes*

I used canned peaches for this recipe, but you can certainly use fresh peaches if you desire.

While you're here check out some of the other tasty creations from this months blog.

An InLinkz Link-up

Mom's Banana Bread

I have the perfect thing for those lazy Saturday mornings y'all. You know the ones I'm talkin 'bout. The ones where breakfast and the day is calling out to you, but it just feels perfect to sleep in just a wee bit more. Oh yeah, you know what I mean. Those kinds of Saturday mornings are perfect for some warm, fresh banana bread all buttered up. Oh, and you mustn't  forget the coffee.

My mom always made the best banana bread. She always made it with buttermilk and threw in some walnuts. I always loved the twang from the buttermilk.  Thankfully, I have made her recipe so many times I have the recipe in my head. 

Mom kept many of her recipes on index cards in a little hinged box. Somehow in our recent move I have misplaced that little box of recipes. 😞 I am still hopeful that it will be found.

Mom's Banana Bread

1 1⁄3 cups  sugar

1⁄2 cup  butter, softened

2 eggs

1⁄2 cup  buttermilk

1 teaspoon  baking soda

1 teaspoon  baking powder

2 cups  flour

1 teaspoon  pure vanilla

1 1⁄4 cups mashed ripe bananas

3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions~

Cream together the sugar and butter.

Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to mix well after each addition. Stir the baking soda into the buttermilk and add to the eggs, butter and sugar mixture. Sift baking powder with flour and blend into creamed mixture.   Add the vanilla and mashed banana. Mix. Stir in the walnuts. Pour into a greased and floured 9"x5" loaf pan. 

Bake at 300 degrees F for about 1 1/2 hours or until loaf tests done with a toothpick. 

Cool for about 20-30 minutes before removing from pan.

Enjoy!

*please note*

I used two smaller disposable pans this time, so I adjusted the cooking time to about 60 minutes.

Horchata

I interrupt your regularly scheduled Saturday evening to bring you Horchata.

This wonderful rice drink is super easy to make, sooooooo tasty and refreshing on our super scorching Arizona days. It's a favorite at our house. 

Try it for yourself and let me know what you think. 

Here's the super easy directions. The hardest part is waiting for it to be ready to drink!

Horchata

1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice


5 cups water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract


1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon


2/3 cup white sugar


Directions~

Pour the rice and water into the bowl of a blender. Blend just until the rice begins to break up, about 1 minute or so. Let rice and water stand at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours. With a cheesecloth strain the rice water into a pitcher and discarding the rice. Stir the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar into the rice water. Chill and stir before serving over ice.

Best Ever Chocolate Cake

Now friends you might not know it yet, but trust me when I say; there are three essentials in life, chocolate, cheese, and coffee. Not necessarily in that order, but each as equally important as the other. And you should have each of these essentials on regular basis; everyday that is. Today's tasty recipe incorporates chocolate and coffee in a very tasty way. I love this recipe from My Baking Addiction. I have made it many times and it always gets rave reviews. This time around I omitted the black cocoa powder because I didn't have any and the Arizona heat was just to hot for me to make a trip to William-Sonoma to purchase some. But if you can, do use it because it lends a nice depth of flavor and makes the cake rich and dark. For the coffee I have always used what I have on hand. So whatever you have on hand should work fine, just make it good and strong.

So let's make the best chocolate cake ever! 

Here's what you need~

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons King Arthur Flour Black Cocoa, optional

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk*

1 cup strong black coffee 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Set these aside. Fit your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric beater, combine the dry ingredients; mixing on low speed till they are thoroughly combined.

Now add the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, vanilla, and beat on medium speed for about two minutes.

The batter is going to be thin. Pour it evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes if you are using the round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool the cakes for 10 minutes and then remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.

Frost them however you like. I love to use a chocolate buttercream. One batch is plenty for this layered chocolate cake.

* if you don't have buttermilk you can add a teaspoon of white vinegar to a cup of whole milk. Stir and let sit a few minutes before adding. 

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/the-best-chocolate-cake-recipe/

The Perks of Summer

One of the perks of not working during the summer is being able to make a special breakfast every now and then. This morning I made French toast. I love to use Sarah Lee's Artisano bread.  It's not quite as thick as Texas toast and not as thin as regular bread. I think I t's absolutely perfect for making a tasty piece of French toast. 

Add a little nutmeg and vanilla to the milk and eggs. 

Fry it up in some browned butter. 

Then you simply must top it with some maple syrup and fresh whipped cream and then...

BOOM, extremely yummy happens. And that my friends is always a good thing.

Orange and Ginger Upside-down Cake

The ingredients for May's Improv Cooking Challenge were Orange and Ginger. A very tasty combination whether used in a savory dish or a sweet treat. Well since we've all been working so hard getting ready for our move next month  I decided we deserved a sweat treat for a reward. I thought it would be the perfect  way to cool down after all of our packing and purging.

I found this Orange and Ginger Upsidedown Cake recipe on The Chew website.  I decided that I was going to cheat a little though, and make the recipe using a white cake mix I already had at the house. It was very simple and worked out wonderfully. My family really enjoyed the finished product and I'm sure I'll  make it again. Here's my ingredients.

Zest the three oranges and set the zest aside.  Slice off the tops and bottoms of  the oranges. Now slice away the rind and pith, from top to bottom. Just  follow the curve of the fruit. Segment each orange, discard any seeds and set them aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of orange juice.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the brown sugar and reserved orange juice and stir until everything is dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes. Place this mixture into the bottom of your cake pan. Place the orange segments on top of the brown sugar mixture in a circular fashion, overlapping as necessary. 

Now to get the cake mixed up. Put the cake mix, 3 eggs, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg, 2 tsp. ground ginger, 1/3 cup of sour cream and 1/4 cup water. Mix on medium for about 3 minutes. Gently spoon over the oranges. Tap the pan on the counter a couple times to remove any air bubbles. Bake in a preheated oven at 350* for 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and turn out onto your cake platter. Serve with a dollop of slightly sweetened fresh whipped cream.

*since I modified the recipe, I had a little leftover batter. I used it to make cupcakes for lunch treats for my brother.

Come check out the other tasty creations in this month's Improv Cooking Challenge.

An InLinkz Link-up

Fresh and Tasty Tomato Soup

Here's what you'll need to make this wonderful fresh and tasty soup.

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

pinch of salt

2 lbs tomatoes (about 10 med tomatoes)

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tbsp uncooked white rice, this will thicken your soup

sprig of fresh thyme 
3-4 fresh basil leaves 

1/2 bay leaf 

Place the butter and olive oil in a heavy pot. I used my Dutch oven. To this add your pealed and sliced onions. Gently cook them over a medium heat while you wash and core your tomatoes. 
When your onions are nice and soft, toss the garlic into the pot and cook for a two minutes more.
Now, add the chopped tomatoes, salt, rice, bay leaf and your fresh herbs to the pot of onions.  Cover and simmer, stirring every now and then until the tomatoes are well cooked and break apart easily.

As I mentioned the rice is the thickening agent in this soup.  It does a good job, and it keeps the fat and calorie count down a little. However if you don't mind the calories you can substitute cream for the water. The calorie count goes up, but you will get a very fresh and tasty bowl of cream of tomato soup that quite frankly leaves Campbell's in the dust. 
Now you are going to add~ 

1 cup water or cream if you don't mind the ᑕᗩᒪoᖇieᔕ :)

1 more tbsp butter
another pinch of salt

Cover and cook for a few more minutes to melt the butter and to ensure that your rice is nice and tender.
Take the soup off the heat and remove the bay leaf and herbs. Puree it to your liking. I used my Ninja, but depending how thick or chunky you might like it an immersion blender would work fine too. 

Enjoy your soup with a salad or a grilled cheese sandwich. 

Ham and Cheese and What?

We are in the middle of moving and I knew it was going to be difficult to get something posted for this month's Improv Cooking Challenge, but I didn't want to miss this month's challenge.
I decided that I was going to to do something super simple. So I decided to make Ham and Cheese Frittatas. They were so super simple to make. I can't imagine why I have never made them before. They were packed with ham and cheese and pig jowl bacon. Who knew that pig jowl bacon tasted soooooo good??? It does y'all. Then I decided to top the frittatas with a drizzle of some Creamy Jalapeño Sauce and they were gone in 5. Which worked out perfectly and then we were back packing up.
So here's the recipe y'all:

5 eggs

1/2 cup cubed ham

3 slices of pig jowl bacon, fried and crumbled

1/2 cup potatoes, cubed and fried (I used frozen to save time)

1/2 cup shredded cheese. I used Mexican blend

4 tbsp milk

Salt and pepper to season

~~~~~~

Mix the egg and milk together, cover and set aside. Fry up the potatoes and drain. Next fry up the bacon and crumble. Using 5 ramekins start layering your frittatas. Potatoes go in first. Next add the ham and bacon. Top each with cheese. Lastly cover with the milk and egg mixture.  Place in a Ban Marie and bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm with a drizzle of Creamy Jalepeño Sauce, you can find the recipe here Or top with your favorite salsa. 

Check out some of the other fabulous Ham and Cheese creations in this month's Improv Cooking Challenge ~

An InLinkz Link-up

Creamy Jalepeño Sauce

I went to lunch with a friend recently and tasted this wonderful creamy Jalepeño sauce. It was just so good that I knew I wanted to try and make some. The sauce I came up with tastes similar to what I ate at the restaurant, but I added some cilantro to mine.  I am sure this would even make a pretty spectacular dressing for salads too.

So here is my version of a creamy jalepeño sauce.

1 cup sour cream

1 cup of mayonnaise 

4 pickled jalepeños, remove the seeds of you like it milder

4 tbls of ranch dressing mix

Juice of one lime

1/2 cup of fresh cilantro

Place everything in a blender and blend until jalepeños and cilantro are finely minced and all ingredients are incorporated and creamy.

Serve as a dipping sauce for your steak quesadillas or use as a dip for nachos . *Refrigerate any unused sauce.* 

This recipe makes 3 cups.

A Little Comfort Food

Ok y'all so I've been seeing this scrumptious looking biscuit and gravy bake floating around Facebook and decided it was worth trying out. I grew up on Southern comfort food so I knew it had to be good. It has biscuits, gravy, sausage, eggs and cheese all of which are comfort foods.

I made one slight change to the recipe though. I decided to use the grease from the sausage to make the gravy instead of using the butter. I love butter, don't  get me wrong, but the the flavor boost from the sausage grease is incredible.

So here are the simple and easy steps to making this dish.

Gather the following:

1 can of biscuits, I used Grands Buttermilk

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

6 eggs

2-1/4 cups milk

salt and pepper to taste 

4 tablespoons reserved grease from the cooked sausage

4 tbls flour

Cut the biscuits and place them evenly in a greased 9x13 baking pan.

Spread the cooked sausage evenly over the biscuits.

Now do the same with your shredded cheese.

Set aside while you mix 6 eggs with 1/4 cup milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the biscuit, sausage and cheese mixture. Now let's use the sausage grease and make some gravy. Whisk the grease with the 4 tbsp flour and stir and let bubble a few minutes to cook the flour. Add the 2 cups milk, salt and pepper to taste and stir and cook until thickened. Pour evenly on top of mixture. 

Cook at 350* for 35-45 minutes. I did mine for 40 minutes and it was perfectly done. 

Creamy Lemon and Lamb Meatball Soup

The Improv Cooking Challenge ingredients for March were lamb & rice. I had company from out of town come in and didn't get a chance to post my recipe.  What I had made was a lamb and rice meatball soup. I just love soup and one of my favorite soups is albondigas. (Spanish meatball soup) so it seemed this recipe had my name written all over it.  So...I made a trip to my favorite specialty store to purchase the ground lamb and few other goodies.  

MEATBALLS ~

1  large egg, lightly beaten 

1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)  

1  garlic clove, minced 

Zest of 1/2 lemon 

3-4 drops of mint oil or 1 tbls fresh chopped mint 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 pound ground lamb 

SOUP Ingredients~

7 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 

Wide ribbons of zest from 1/2 lemon, use a veggie peeler to make these

1/2 cup  rice  

vegetable oil 

3  large eggs 

Fresh juice of 1 large lemon 

Chopped fresh mint and parsley if desired for garnish

Let's Make meatballs~

In a large bowl, combine egg, panko, milk, garlic, lemon zest, mint, parsley, salt, and pepper and let sit a few minutes so the panko crumbs can soften a bit. Next add the ground lamb, and mix well with your hands. Form the meat mixture into 3/4-inch size meatballs. Chill them on a baking sheet until they are a little firmer, about 15 minutes  was ok for me.

While the meatballs chill, let's make soup: 

In a large covered pot, (I used my cast iron Dutch oven) bring broth and zest to a boil then add rice and lower the heat. Simmer over low heat, partially covered, until rice is par cooked, about 10 minutes.

While soup simmers, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. I really didn't need to much oil as you can see. Cook the meatballs in batches, turning once, so they brown on 2 sides, about 6 minutes should be enough browning/cooking time. Use a slotted spoon to remove them to the soup. Cook for another 15 minutes till the meatballs are cooked through.

Remove zest from soup and discard. Turn off heat. Whisk eggs to blend and add lemon juice. Whisk in a ladle of hot soup at a time, about 4-5 laddles should be enough, then return this mixture to the pot and stir. You are now ready to enjoy your soup.  Garnish with mint and parsley if desired and serve. 

Cheating Is Allowed

Sopapillas are one of my favorite treats. And when I can't get out to my favorite restaurant to enjoy some I make my own. The cheater way. Yes, the cheater way. They are almost as good and so easy to make. Really.

Pop open a container of your favorite biscuits.

Flatten them a smidge. 

Heat up some oil and fry away till they're golden brown on both sides.

Remove from the oil to paper napkin lined plate. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and drizzle with honey. 

Be quick to grab one though 'cause I guarantee they will disappear in no time.